US: Weis Markets unveils $150mln cap ex plan
Weis Markets Inc. Chairman, President and CEO Jonathan H. Weis has informed shareholders of the company’s plans to invest $150mln-plus in its growth this year. Weis spoke at the company’s annual shareholder meeting in its hometown of Sunbury, Pennsylvania, noting that Weis Markets continues to make record investments in new stores, remodels, fuel centers, IT upgrades and smaller store improvement projects.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: Publix rolls out 15-minute grocery delivery via Instacart
Publix Super Markets has begun rapid grocery delivery in the Miami area using Instacart’s Carrot Warehouses nano-fulfillment solution. Publix and Instacart said that, through the new service, the grocer’s customers in the Brickell, Coral Gables and Wynwood, Florida neighborhoods can order from an assortment of thousands of products and have them delivered in as soon as 15-minutes, including during early morning or late night hours. Available now, the fast grocery delivery service is slated to roll out across those communities over the coming weeks, the companies said.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: 7-Eleven, Speedway, Stripes announce plan to fill 60,000 roles on National Hiring Day
7-Eleven, Speedway and Stripes, along with participating independent franchise owners and operators, are hosting a National Hiring Event on Tuesday, May 3 across more than 13,000 stores in the U.S. and Canada. The convenience retailers are collectively hiring passionate, customer-focused employees for 60,000 jobs.
Source: prnewswire.com
US: Aldi to eliminate all plastic bags from stores
Aldi is expanding its elimination of plastic bags across all its stores. The discount grocer detailed the plan, along with its progress in other areas of sustainability, in a letter from Aldi U.S. CEO Jason Hart to employees. The company already has removed plastic bags from nearly 500 stores with the goal to phase them out from all 2,200 locations by the end of 2023.
Source: chainstoreage.com
Amazon sees 1st loss since 2015 as shares tumble 10%
Amazon announced its 1st loss since 2015 as sales slowed, costs rose and its investment in electric vehicle company Rivian wiped out profits. The news sent Amazon’s shares tumbling by 10% in after hours trading. The tech giant’s revenues grew at a sluggish 7% in the 1st quarter to $116.4bln, Amazon’s slowest growth rate in nearly 2 decades. For the same quarter last year, Amazon’s sales increased 44% to $108.5bln. It lost $3.8bln for the quarter compared with a profit of $8.1bln during the same period a year ago.
Source: theguardian.com
Continued support from SPAR Gran Canaria to local farmers
SPAR Gran Canaria continues to prioritize the purchase of local, more sustainable products, directly collaborating with over 200 farmers on the island. The retailer began a campaign showcasing the Valsequillo strawberry in February 2022, offering its customers the best quality strawberries under the ‘La Cosecha Canaria’ SPAR brand. The heart-shaped fruit boxes are labeled with ‘Km. 0’ which reflects the local sourcing strategy. Following an agreement with local farmers to purchase the entire harvest until next July, SPAR Gran Canaria’s shoppers will be able to buy these delicious fruits for months to come. SPAR Gran Canaria and the San Nicolás Agricultural Cooperative Society (COAGRISAN) renewed their collaboration commitment to promote the production and marketing of tomatoes from La Aldea. The arrangement guarantees the exclusive distribution of over 550 tons of tomatoes produced on 102 hectares through the 197 SPAR Supermarkets on the island.
Source: spar-international.com
India to launch open e-commerce network to take on Amazon, Walmart
India will on Friday launch an Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) as the government tries to end the dominance of U.S. companies Amazon.com and Walmart in the fast-growing e-commerce market, a government document showed.
Source: reuters.com
Portugal: Jeronimo Martins' quarterly profit jumps 52%, outlook uncertain
Portugal’s No. 2 retailer Jeronimo Martins posted a 52% jump in 1st-quarter net income as its key market Poland led a rise in sales, but warned of uncertainty ahead due to the conflict in Ukraine, inflation and other factors. The company booked a net profit of 88mln euros ($92.35mln) between January and March, up from 58mln euros a year earlier, when it was marked by the COVID-19 pandemic and also included the Easter holiday season.
Source: reuters.com
M&S reinforces commitment to local agriculture & farming sustainability
As the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society (RUAS) prepares to open the gates at Balmoral Park for the 153rd Balmoral Show, Platinum Sponsor Marks & Spencer is set to showcase its commitment to local agriculture and farming sustainability. Northern Ireland is a major supply region for the M&S food business with beef, venison, chicken, potatoes, bread and eggs produced not only for Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland stores, but also for many stores across the UK.
Source: belfasttelegraph.co.uk
Australia: Good & Fugly starts food rescue hotline
Sydney-based social enterprise Good & Fugly revealed a produce ‘rescue’ hotline for farmers who have had their supplies rejected by retailers. The service is available immediately for farmers to make arrangements for the Good & Fugly team to purchase the surplus fruits and vegetables. The hotline number is 13-000-FUGLY.
Source: foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au
Romania: Carrefour set to open test stores in gas stations
Carrefour Group, active in grocery retail sector, has signed a partnership with Rompetrol Downstream, which operates a network of more than 1,000 filling stations in Romania, to open a number of "test" stores in the gas stations, ZF has found. If these prove successful, the partnership will be expanded, market sources add. As of press time, representatives of the 2 parties had not responded to ZF's request for comment on the partnership.
Source: agroberichtenbuitenland.nl
Australia: Coles drives for sustainability with 1st electric delivery truck
Coles is using an electric-powered truck to deliver stock to New South Wales stores under a trial being undertaken with transport partner Linfox Logistics.
Source: colesgroup.com.au
Meet the Tipperary man harvesting the best of Irish produce
Harvest Day’s 100% Irish-sourced food delivery service helps customers throughout Ireland to shop for sustainably produced, organic Irish vegetables, while supporting small-scale Irish farms and producers. Entrepreneur Fergus Halpin is behind the business, founding it in May 2020 during coronavirus lockdown.
Source: irishexaminer.com
UK: Asda £1.4mln donation to FareShare will help 10mln meals be donated
Asda has donated £1.4mln to set up the ‘All Good Food Fund’, a unique project with FareShare which is hoped will lead to 10mln meals being donated to charities across the country. As part of the new fund, Asda suppliers will be able to apply for funding to help pay for additional costs; such as labour and transport, making it easier for food to be donated. This means that good-to-eat surplus food such as fruit, vegetables, eggs, bread; as well as fresh, frozen, ambient and chilled food, which would not have been able to be sold in store can now be redistributed to FareShare and its network of 10,500 charities across the UK.
Source: corporate.asda.com
Danish supermarket chain to let staff go due to price rises
Supermarket firm Coop has announced it will release 100 staff in Denmark as a result of the increasing prices of everyday goods. The supermarket confirmed the decision in a press statement reported by business media Finans. The job losses will occur at the company’s central headquarters in Albertslund near Copenhagen.
Source: thelocal.dk